Stable carbon isotope reconstructions of diet and paleoenvironment from the late Middle Pleistocene Snake Cave in Northeastern Thailand.

Die Naturwissenschaften
Diana PushkinaJean-Jacques Jaeger

Abstract

Thailand's geographical location in the tropics and almost complete, relatively uninterrupted forest cover makes it valuable for paleodiet and paleoclimate research. We present the first dietary and environmental reconstructions in Northeastern Thailand, using stable isotope abundances in mammalian tooth enamel from the late Middle Pleistocene locality, Tham Wiman Nakin (Snake Cave), which reflect a much higher (over 70%) than modern (13%) occurrence of C4 plants. Bovids and cervids appear to have had almost entirely a C4 plant diet. Carnivores consumed a mixture of C3 (suids) and C4 (bovids, cervids) consumers. Rhinoceroses and orangutan appear to have maintained their preference through time for forested or open C3 environment, respectively. (13)C/(12)C from bone bioapatite, horn and hair of modern Southeast Asian mammals almost exclusively demonstrate C3 vegetation dominance. C4 consumption is rare in analysed modern species and it could be related to anthropogenic influences such as ingestion of domestic crops or livestock. Interesting implications emerge in the C4 vegetation distribution in southern Eurasian ecosystems, indicating that Southeast Asia, south of the Tibet, could be part of the global C4 vegetation spread, wh...Continue Reading

References

Jan 30, 2004·Nature·Yaowalak ChaimaneeJean-Jacques Jaeger
Jan 31, 2006·Regulatory Toxicology and Pharmacology : RTP·E O GreggE D Massey
Apr 25, 2006·Journal of Human Evolution·M SponheimerJ A Lee-Thorp
Mar 1, 1971·Plant Physiology·B N Smith, S Epstein
Aug 10, 2007·Current Biology : CB·Michael Hofreiter

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